Lewandowski treble gives Dortmund a lift

After a 3-0 UEFA Champions League setback at Olympique de Marseille, Borussia Dortmund got back to winning ways in the Bundesliga defeating FC Augsburg 4-0 at the weekend, thanks mainly to a hat-trick from Polish forward Robert Lewandowski.

"I have never scored a hat-trick before," he told UEFA.com. "This is special, not only because it is my first, but also because I did it in the Bundesliga, and especially after the disappointment of Marseille. After a game like that, it is very important to show that the team still has a lot of quality. We have proved that we are still aiming for the top prizes."

Coach Jürgen Klopp showed his faith in the Polish forward, who has 36 international caps, giving him the chance to play in the starting XI despite having last season's top scorer, Lucas Barrios, fit and ready. "It's important that the coach believes in you," said Lewandowski. "I work hard during matches and in training sessions and our coach sees that. I know what I'm capable of. I know how good I am, and I can do a lot."

The treble is the seventh scored by a Polish player in Bundesliga history and the first since Ebi Smolarek's on 15 October 2005, for Dortmund against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Only one of Lewandowski's fellow countrymen has hit two hat-tricks in German football; former Hamburger SV and Eintracht Frankfurt striker Jan Furtok, but the 23-year-old hopes he can beat his compatriot's record one day.

"To score goals you always need some luck," he said. "But you never know. Maybe I'll score another hat-trick this season, but I can't think about it too much. Of course when you score it's nice but, for me, wins for the team are the most important thing."

The Augsburg victory was the German champions' fourth in eight league games this season and the striker believes it could be a turning point for his side. "I hope it was a breakthrough game which showed us, and everybody, that we are still a very strong side and are back on the right path," he said.

Despite just one point from their two UEFA Champions League Group F matches Lewandowski believes his side's bad luck has run out ahead of a trip to Olympiacos FC. "We need three points and I am sure that we will play to our highest level," he said. "The bad luck we had in previous matches is behind us and if we get the three points we are back in with a chance of qualifying for the next round."

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